[ If you did not get my announcement- please, please, please go check it out! I know I give more warning, but this is the last chapter of SUNSHINE! ]
Time continued to go on. Casey was back playing with both her NWSL club and for her country as they began to gear up for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. They had a successful Victory Tour, going to ten different cities against five different teams. She had missed some games with the Orlando Pride, but she was able to aid with another playoff berth. They had been working nonstop, and she had barely been home, but Alessio made sure they had a big celebration for their one year anniversary and her twenty-second birthday. He had taken her out for a night on the town, and it was one of the first nights she had not thought about her parents, which was a step in the right direction. They remained in the back of her mind, of course, but they were not right there staring her down. A few days later marked the one year anniversary of her mother's death, which was difficult, but she knew she had a support system to rely on.
She spent Thanksgiving with his family back in Chicago, which was one of the few times he had returned home. His mother had come to Patrick's funeral, and that was the last time either one of them had seen her. They remained in Chicago until just after Christmas, celebrating the last month with his family. The New Year came and they were back home, both of them ringing in the year of 2024 at the Orlando branch of Howl at the Moon. It was packed and one of the biggest parties she had ever been to, and they had the times of their lives.
They went through the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament brackets with ease, the only difficult part being the weather. It was cold, but they managed to top the tournament to secure their spot in Paris, and they were excited to be going to the Olympics once again.
A few weeks later she was back in camp with the U.S. Women's National Team as they geared up for the She Believes Cup that was being held in about a month, but they needed to get into shape and conditioned for their upcoming season. They were excited to be back, for there were some new faces. Carli and Alyssa had both retired from the international spotlight, but they wanted to continue playing at the club level for as long as they could. They were bringing in some players fresh of their first season playing professional soccer, wanting to get their toes wet at the international level and play against some tougher opponents. Vlatko wanted to see what they were capable of.
The tournament came and went, the USA women coming out on top after facing some of their most difficult opponents. They were given a little time off to recuperate from their last couple of weeks of playing almost nonstop soccer, and it was not time for preseason with their club teams just yet, so all the players were able to just head home and relax. Casey had gotten back into her regular routine of running some miles in the morning, coming home to make breakfast for her and Alessio by eight before he went to work. Without soccer during the day, she was restless and always ended up either going for another run or doing some strength training at the Orlando Pride training center. On days she went out to Orlando she would spend the rest of the afternoon bothering Alex at her home, where they would entertain one another under Casey went home to meet Alessio for dinner before he went to the bar. Some nights she would go with him to have a night out, but most of the time she stayed home with Atlas and watched Law and Order: SVU or Criminal Minds on Netflix.
For the next couple of months, Casey had been in and out of national team camps and with the Orlando Pride, for their season had finally begun and they wanted to build the beginning of their season up before they took an international break for the opening weeks of the Olympics. The United States had games set up for the next few weeks before they went into their send-off series, which was when Casey, Alex, and the rest of the NWSL members were to report to the US Women's National Team only. After they were constricted to the national team, their training schedules had died down but they were traveling more frequently to play for their country, which they loved.
The time came for the eighteen players and the staff of the United States Women's National Team to travel to Paris, which was a place Casey had never been. She was excited to travel and be playing for her second gold medal. This tournament would celebrate her fourth year of playing with the senior team, for everything would be full circle now. It was sort of surreal. That was the first tournament and first time she was set as the starter for the team, and since then she had broken several records. She was still chasing the shutout record, but she assumed she would still have time for that since she was only twenty-two years old. She planned to play until she was old and gray, but she knew her body would not allow her to after the numerous injuries she endured.
"Come on, one last dinner before you fly out tomorrow." Alessio pleaded. It was the eve before she was meeting Alex in Orlando to head to the airport to head to Washington D.C to fly to Paris, and as like before every tournament, Alessio typically took her out to dinner, sort of like a good luck tradition.
"I thought we were just going to stay in and have a fancy dinner like usual?" She asked him, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I made reservations at your favorite restaurant. Plus, we've cooked the last couple nights. Why not have a night on the town?" He convinced her, and she chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"You know I can't pass up the best seafood known to man." She chuckled. Ever since they had their first real date at Ocean Prime, they made it a mission to go at least once a month.
"Yes, I know. Go, get dressed." Alessio chuckled. He patted her behind as she went to get ready, and she chuckled, turning around and pecking him on the lips before she went upstairs. He was still dressed from work, so all he had to do was wait for her, but he did not mind. She was typically quick, and sure enough, she was coming back down the stairs twenty minutes later in a white based skirt with some deep red roses and black accents, along with an off the shoulder top that met about a half inch above the skirt. Her heels were downstairs and she had some silver accent jewelry, along with her makeup done in a natural way.
She looked gorgeous, and he could not believe he had gotten so lucky.
"Ready to go?" She asked as she slipped on her heels, and he nodded, smiling.
"Yes, of course." He responded softly as he extended his hand to her, and she smiled, taking it as she planted a kiss on his lips. They walked out of the house and to his truck, where he opened the door for her and helped her inside. He then closed the door and went and got into the driver's seat, turning his truck on leaving their driveway. Twenty minutes later they arrived at Ocean Prime. He helped her out of the truck and extended his arm out to her, and she looped it through as they walked into the restaurant.
They sat there for hours, eating and drinking and just having a good time. Although they saw one another everyday, they could still find numerous things to talk about, and it was never a boring conversation. Whether it was a civil conversation about what was going on in the world, or Casey being her goofy self while Alessio tried to calm her down. Eventually they left the restaurant, both of them stuffed to the brim. They got into his truck and Casey was about to fall into a food coma when she realized they were not heading straight home.
"Where are we going?" She asked him, and he smiled, grabbing her hand.
"Gonna do a little pit stop." Was all he said before he turned into the parking lot of a beach. The sun was just now setting, and there were only a couple cars remaining after a hot summer day. He shut the engine off and got out, opening the door for her and helping her out. "You might want to take your heels off." He chuckled, and she sighed as they walked toward the beach. As soon as they reached the sand, she took her heels off, using him as a support beam. She carried them in one hand as she took his hand in the other, and they walked along the shore. Eventually he stopped her, and she looked back at him.
"Alessio what is it?" She asked. He looked worried.
"You know I love you, right?" He questioned in response.
"Yes, of course I do." She chuckled.
"And you know I'd do anything for you, right?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes.
"Alessio what is this about?" She answered with a small laugh.
"When I first met you, I was on a run. We ran into one another, and you blew my breath away. I think you actually made my heart skip a beat." He started with a nervous smile. "What you don't know is that during that run, I was contemplating on taking a plunge into Lake Michigan and never coming back up." He admitted to her, and her jaw dropped. "You saved my life. Meeting you changed my outlook on everything in almost an instant, and I couldn't believe it." He quickly added, squeezing her hands. "I took the chance and invited you to my bar during your stay in Chicago, and when you came, I knew right then and there I was gonna be in this for the long haul. I told myself, this is the girl I'm going to marry." He continued, and she smiled, and they both knew where this was going. She was in shock, and she could not believe this was happening right now. "Now, I know your dad isn't here now, but a long time ago he gave me his blessing, and I plan to make do on that now." He said, finally getting down on one knee in front of her, and she fought back tears. "Casey Anne Radcliffe, will you marry me?" He asked with the biggest smile on his face, showing her a beautiful ring.
"Yes! A million times yes!" She responded happily. He slid the ring onto her finger and stood up quickly, kissing her and wrapping his arms around her, hugging her and swinging her around.
The next morning Casey was on flight with Alex on their way to the United States capital. She was exhausted and Alex could tell, but she was not falling asleep anytime soon.
"You good Case? You look tired." Alex commented, getting her attention.
"I am, but I'm good. I'll sleep on the long flight." She responded with a small smile, sipping her coffee. "Alessio proposed last night." She added softly, and Alex looked at her in shock.
"What? Where's the ring!" She asked, yanking her left hand.
"I gave it back for the time being. I don't want to lose it while we're in Paris." Casey chuckled, and Alex laughed, hugging her.
"Well congrats Case!" She said with a big grin.
"Thanks Al." She responded. "Hey, do you think you could keep this on the down-low for now? I don't want this to be the topic of discussion when we should all be focused on winning another gold medal." She added, and Alex smiled, nodding.
"Of course. But you've at least gotta tell Ali and Ash." She answered, and Casey shook her head.
"No, because Ashlyn will spread that shit like wildfire on Instagram." She responded with a laugh. Alex sighed, knowing she was right. Some time later they landed in D.C. and boarded a flight with the other sixteen members of the team, all of them ready to tear it up in Paris.
And win another gold medal.